Hélder Postiga
Encyclopedia
Hélder Manuel Marques Postiga (born 2 August 1982) is a Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 footballer who plays for Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...

 in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, as a striker.

After starting professionally at Porto, Postiga went on to have spells in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 (one season with Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

), France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 (five months apiece), before returning to his country with Sporting.

A Portuguese international
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...

 on more than 50 occasions, Postiga represented the country in one
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...

 World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

 and two European Championships
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...

, helping the national team reach the final at Euro 2004.

FC Porto

Born in Vila do Conde, Postiga started his career at northern side Varzim SC. In 1998, at 16, he joined F.C. Porto's youth teams, and continued to progress until he reached the reserve squad. At the time, coach Octávio Machado
Octávio Machado
Octávio Joaquim Coelho Machado is a retired Portuguese football player and coach.-Club career:...

 picked him for the first team on some occasions and Postiga performed well.

After José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....

 assumed command of the team, Postiga exploded. He scored 13 goals in 2002–03 (before his 21st birthday) and soon became a star in Porto's frontline, alongside Derlei
Derlei
Vanderlei Fernandes Silva , aka Derlei, is a retired Brazilian-Portuguese footballer who played as a striker.He spent most of his 16-year professional career in Portugal , having represented all three most important clubs in the country, and amassing top division totals of 187 games and 70...

. Postiga had also earned a permanent selection for the Portuguese under-21 team
Portugal national under-21 football team
The Portugal national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Portugal and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation . They are nicknamed "Esperanças." Esperança means hope, thus they are Portugal's hopes for the future...

 by this time.

Tottenham

After winning the 2003 national championship, Postiga moved to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

 for £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...

6.25 million (
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...

9 million), a fee that could have raised to £8.36M (€12M).

He failed to adapt to the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 style of football, only managing to score two goals, one in the league against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

 and one in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

 against Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...

. As a result, his reputation as an upcoming star drastically decreased.

Porto return

Postiga then returned to Porto in a deal that sent Pedro Mendes
Pedro Mendes
Pedro Miguel da Silva Mendes is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a midfielder for Vitória Guimarães of the Portuguese first division .Starting his career with home town club Vitória de Guimarães, Mendes won a UEFA Champions League medal with FC Porto in 2004...

 to Tottenham in exchange, with the striker being valued at €7.5M. New coach Víctor Fernández included him in the team for the 2004–05 campaign, but he had another disappointing season. However, following José Couceiro's appointment as coach, he managed to score three goals before the end of the season.

In 2005, after a promising pre-season, Postiga was demoted to the club's B team, because new coach Co Adriaanse
Co Adriaanse
Jacobus "Co" Adriaanse is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who is currently the head coach of Eredivisie team FC Twente.-Playing career:...

 was not happy with his performances. In January 2006, trying to confirm his position in the Portuguese team for the 2006 World Cup, he moved, on loan, to AS Saint-Étienne
AS Saint-Étienne
Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire is a French association football club based in Saint-Étienne. The club was founded in 1919 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Saint-Étienne plays its home matches at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard located within the city...

, where he scored two Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....

 goals against FC Metz
FC Metz
Football Club de Metz, commonly referred to as simply Metz , is a French association football club based in Metz. The club was formed in 1932 and has spent most of its history in the Ligue 1, though they currently play in Ligue 2, the second level in French football league system. Metz plays its...

 and Le Mans Union Club 72, both resulting in 1–0 away victories.

Postiga then returned to Porto for 2006–07 where, due to the managerial changes at the club, he found himself back in the first team. Postiga's first few games were a huge improvement from his 2005–06 form. A regular starter for the team, he nonetheless fell out of favour towards the end of the season, losing his place to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian Adriano
Adriano Vieira Louzada
Adriano Vieira Louzada, simply Adriano , is a Brazilian footballer who plays for U.D. Oliveirense in Portugal, as a striker.-Football career:...

. However, he still managed to score ten league goals.

In January 2008, after having again fallen out of favour, Postiga moved to Panathinaikos FC
Panathinaikos FC
Panathinaikos Football Club is a Greek professional football club based in Athens. Founded in 1908, they play in the Super League Greece and are one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Greek football history. They have won 20 Greek Championships and 17 Greek Cups.Panathinaikos is the most...

 for a six-month loan period. His first goal for the club came in the Athens derby
Local derby
In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby means a sporting fixture between two, generally local, rivals, particularly in association football...

 against AEK Athens FC, in which he equalised (1–1).

Sporting CP

On 1 June 2008, it was announced that Postiga had made a shock move to Portuguese rivals Sporting Clube de Portugal, signing a three-year contract for a reported transfer fee of
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...

2.5 million, with the Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

 side acquiring 50% of the player's rights. On 1 September, he scored his first official goal for his new club, the only in a victory at Sporting de Braga.

Postiga's second season as a Lion was disastrous, both collectively – Sporting finished fourth – and individually (he failed to score in any official competition until 19 April 2010, when he netted the 2–1 home winner against Vitória de Setúbal
Vitória F.C.
Vitória Futebol Clube is a Portuguese sports club from the city of Setúbal. Popularly known as Vitória de Setúbal with the motto "A Vitória será nossa" .- Domestic :*Portuguese Liga: Runners-up 1971–72...

, after just one minute on the pitch); although he began as a starter, he soon lost his job to youth graduate Carlos Saleiro
Carlos Saleiro
Carlos Miguel Mondim Saleiro is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Servette FC in Switzerland, as a striker.-Football career:...

.

Zaragoza

On 31 August 2011, the very last day of the summer transfer window
Transfer window
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA...

, Postiga left Sporting, signing for Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...

 in the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

 for €1 million. At the Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...

ese side, he reunited with countrymen Fernando Meira
Fernando Meira
Fernando José da Silva Freitas Meira is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Real Zaragoza in Spain, as a central defender.In his country, he represented most notably Vitória de Guimarães, also playing one year with Benfica...

 and Rúben Micael
Rúben Micael
Rúben Micael Freitas da Ressureição , known as Micael, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Real Zaragoza on loan from Atlético Madrid in Spain, as a midfielder.-Early years / Nacional:...

.

After three disallowed goals in as many matches, Postiga opened his scoring account for Zaragoza on 16 October 2011, netting twice in a 2–0 home win against Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909...

. This included a bicycle kick
Bicycle kick
A Bicycle kick or Scissor kick is a physical move made by throwing the body up into the air, making a shearing movement with the legs to get one leg in front of the other without holding on to the ground. The move can either be done backwards or sideways...

 in the 11th minute of the game.

International career

A Portuguese international
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...

 since 2003, Postiga managed to save the side from defeat against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...

 during the quarterfinals of UEFA Euro 2004, played on home soil, scoring a 83rd-minute 1–1 equaliser (2–2 after 120 minutes
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...

) as Portugal would prevail in the penalty shootout, in which he successfully converted his attempt with a chip shot. He was subsequently summoned for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...

 side, starting against Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...

 in a 2–1 group stage win.

In Euro 2008, also mainly used from the bench, Postiga scored a late goal against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

, although Portugal lost 3–2 in the quarterfinals. After more than two years of absence from the national team setup, he was called-up for two Euro 2012 qualifiers
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 is a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine...

 against Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...

 and Iceland
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....

, in October 2010. On the 12th, against the latter, he scored in a 3–1 away win; on November 17, he put two past world champions
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...

 Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...

, in a 4–0 friendly win in Lisbon.

On 4 June 2011, Postiga scored the only goal in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...

 played at Estádio da Luz, which made him the 10th top scorer in the national team's history.

International goals

Club statistics

Club League Season League Cup League Cup Europe Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Porto Primeira Liga 2001–02 27 9 0 0 11 1 38 10
2002–03 31 13 1 0 12 6 44 19
Total 5822102378229
Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

Premier League 2003–04 19 1 5 0 0 0 24 1
Total 19150Porto Primeira Liga 2004–05 24 3 2 0 7 0 33 1 3
2005–06 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Total 2632070353
Saint-Étienne
AS Saint-Étienne
Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire is a French association football club based in Saint-Étienne. The club was founded in 1919 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Saint-Étienne plays its home matches at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard located within the city...

Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....

2005–06 16 2 1 0 0 0 17 2
Total 1621000172
Porto Primeira Liga 2006–07 24 11 0 0 7 1 31 12
2007–08 5 1 2 1 0 0 4 0 11 2
Total 291221001114214
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos FC
Panathinaikos Football Club is a Greek professional football club based in Athens. Founded in 1908, they play in the Super League Greece and are one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Greek football history. They have won 20 Greek Championships and 17 Greek Cups.Panathinaikos is the most...

Superleague Greece 2007–08 14 2 0 0 2 0 16 2
Total 1420020162
Sporting Primeira Liga 2008–09 21 5 1 0 3 0 5 0 30 2 5
2009–10 22 1 0 0 2 0 7 0 31 1
2010–11 25 6 3 1 3 1 12 4 43 12
Total 6812318124410418
Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...

La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

2011–12
2011–12 La Liga
The 2011–12 La Liga season is the 81st since its establishment. Barcelona are the defending champions, having won their 21st La Liga title in the previous season for the third time in a row. The campaign began on 27 August 2011, and will end on 13 May 2012...

10 4 0 0 10 4
Total 10400|–104
Last updated 6 November 2011

1 includes one match in the Portuguese Supercup.

2 includes one match in the Portuguese Supercup.

Club

Porto
  • UEFA Cup: 2002–03
  • Intercontinental Cup
    Intercontinental Cup (football)
    The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...

    : 2004
  • Portuguese League
    Portuguese Liga
    The Primeira Liga , formerly called Primeira Divisão, currently named Liga ZON Sagres after their main sponsors, is the top professional association football division of the Portuguese football league system...

    : 2002–03, 2005–06, 2006–07
  • Portuguese Cup
    Taça de Portugal
    The Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...

    : 2002–03
  • Portuguese Supercup: 2004


Sporting
  • Portuguese Supercup: 2008

Orders

  • Medal of Merit, Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa
    Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa
    The Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa is an dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Braganza, the former Portuguese Royal Family...

     (House of Braganza
    Duke of Braganza
    The title Duke of Braganza in the House of Braganza is one of the most important titles in the peerage of Portugal. Since the House of Braganza acceded to the throne of Portugal in 1640, the male heir of the Portuguese Crown was known as the Duke of Braganza and Prince of Brazil until 1822, or...

    )

External links

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